#0009 We're now listed on Discover Dixon & Yelp!
September 18, 2024
Recently, in August, we were now listed on the Discover Dixon Website run by the Dixon,
Illinois Chamber of Commerce. They kindly provide free business listings to all area
businesses to promote commerce in the area. Meyer Computer is NOT a chamber member at
this time but MCC may join in the future.
>> Webpage - Discover Dixon
We also maintain a listing on Yelp!
>> Webpage - Yelp!
#0006 Laptops vs. Desktops
September 13, 2024
This article was rewritten from my original 2017 article.
There are advantages and disadvantages of both laptops and desktops.
Laptop Pros Portability!, The 'cool' factor!, laptops have built-in
wireless networking as a standard feature. They can go anywhere.
Laptop Cons More expensive when comparing to a desktop with similar
features, somewhat slower than desktops. Most laptops are not very expandable beyond
memory and drive upgrades. They are harder to service because they must be taken apart
and contain a much larger number of proprietary components.
Desktop Pros Less expensive when comparing to a laptop with similar
features. Typically faster than laptops, most are expandable, very easy to service,
fewer proprietary parts. Many off the shelf components can be used. Custom built
desktops are the easiest of all to service as all components are off the shelf.
Desktop Cons Lack of portability, wireless networking is not always
standard. Sometimes it must be added separately. Desktops tend NOT to be
portable.
Processors Processors are designed for desktops first. There is less
in the way of space constraints and cooling is easier. It takes the chip manufacturer
longer to develop a smaller version to fit a laptop.
Laptop Power Consumption The slower CPU's run on lower voltages which
can lengthen the battery life of the laptop. Faster CPU's consume more power but reduce
battery life. It's a trade off. The speed of the CPU also helps determine the
price.
Whats Included?
Some desktops come with a mouse and keyboard in the box. Others do not. Monitors and
printers are always separate because everyone wants something different.
Summary
Typically you can spend quite a bit more money for a laptop with 60-70% of the speed of
a desktop. Get a laptop if you want portability. Get a desktop if you want
expandability.
Meyer Computer Consulting typically sells both Hewlett Packard Business Desktops and
Business laptops. Other brands are available. The HP business line is designed to be
easier to maintain and have higher parts availability. Custom built computers are also
an option.
Click here for CUSTOM DESKTOPS
#0005 Product Reviews
September 12, 2024
If you haven't done so already, please check out the MCC review page! We
started making mini reviews of products we have either used ourselves or have
implemented for clients. The reviews are NOT sponsored, and items were acquired with our
own money. They are intended to reflect our actual experience. We'll let you know if it
was easy or difficult to use or if it met our needs. The reviews are often Last Updated
to
reflect any new experience or problem we may discover along the way.
REVIEW
PAGE
#0004 Oldest Website Recognition!
September 11, 2024
On this day of remembrance, I would like to make a quick shout out to the
oldest website I have out there. It still looks good! The Dixon, Illinois Veterans
Memorial website was a lot of fun as I was able to work with a ton of photos and
historical information. Hopefully this site can be Last Updated in the future.
Click on the tank to visit the site.
#0003 Linux Pros and Cons
September 10, 2024
PROS
Most Linux software is totally free and open source. This means the actual source code
is available to anyone who wants to change the operating system.
The exceptions are RedHat and SUSE Linux. These two
are
intended for business use and offer support contracts.
When it comes to software, many Windows and Mac programs also exist for Linux, or they
have a functional equivalent.
Overall, linux has much less demanding hardware requirements compared to Windows or
Linux. You can obtain good performance even on older hardware. Linux even runs on single
board computers such as the Raspberry Pi and Zimaboard.
Linux doesnt require a TPM chip. All the old computers that can't be upgraded to Windows
11 work great with Linux. You don't need to discard your old hardware.
There are dozens of Linux distros that are made for different purposes. These are just a
few popular examples:
MINT is for people who are familiar
with Windows. It looks and operates like like Windows all the time. If you can use
Windows desktop, you can us the Linux desktop. Please see the review of
MINT elsewhere on this
site.
KALI is for penetration testers,
white hat and black hat hackers. It comes already to go with all the software tools you
need to examine website traffic, other websites, applications and more.
BAZZITE is for gamers and has better NVIDIA suport. It's an immutable
operating system meaning its hard to mess up. It was designed to compete with Steam OS
and it looks more like what you would see on a game console. It can run on
a PC or on a gaming handheld. Bazzite is based on Fedora Linux.
POP! OS is for gamers and has better NVIDIA suport.
DEBIAN is very stable,
well tested and intended for ultra reliability. However updates are infrequent. Its
intended more for mission critical applications.
There's many more! The list goes on and on! Each version of Linux is
tailored to a specific use case.
Most web servers use some version of Linux as it tends to be more reliable and
secure. The #1 web server software is Apache.
CONS
If your coming from a Windows environment, you will have a hell of a time trying to use
the command line with any version of Linux. It's entirely different and much more wordy.
Stuff you can do in Windows with a single command may take multiple commands in Linux.
It's not intuitive. However I suspect that long time Linux users probably think the same
about Windows. There is a learning curve.
Adobe still refuses to make Acrobat or Creative Suite available on Linux.
DID YOU KNOW?
Apple IOS and Chromebooks are simply customized versions of Linux that are highly locked
down.
#0001 Welcome to my new Blog! 'Digital Dispatch'
September 7, 2024, Last Updated January 8,
2025
This blog post was enhanced with AI on 1/08/25.
This is where I’ll be posting shorter updates, comments, and rants that
don’t really fit anywhere else on the website. For now, I’m calling it the "Digital
Dispatch," though the name might change if I come up with something better. The page
design might change too, since the current setup is a little clunky.
If there’s something you’d like me to cover, feel free to reach out! I’m always open to
fresh ideas.
